(August 6th 2001)
Rosyth Wins Landing Craft Contract
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has placed an order worth about £9 million for 12 new landing craft with FBM Babcock Marine Ltd. The vessels will be built at Rosyth Royal Dockyard and the order is expected to secure in excess of 40 jobs over the three years it will take to complete the work, with further jobs safeguarded among sub-contractors. The order was won against stiff competition from three other shipyards.
HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark will each carry four LCVP Mk5 on davits on the superstructure of the ships. The remaining four vessels of the batch will be used for training and as trials craft. The contract contains options of up to a further four LCVP Mk5 which could be exercised within the next two years.
The Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel Mark 5 (LCVP MK5) have a maximum loaded displacement of 24 tonnes. They are 15.7 metres long and have a breadth of 4.3 metres. They will have a top speed of 24 knots and a range of 210 nautical miles. They are crewed by three Royal Marines and can carry 35 men or two light trucks.
The new vessels are constructed of aluminium and are expected to have a service life of about 20 years. An early batch of the vessels has already proved highly successful during operations around the world from the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean.
The LCVP Mk5 will go into service in July 2002 when the first vessels will form HMS Albion’s assault squadron.